Studia commercialia Bratislavensia Volume 5; Number 20 (4/2012); pp. 597-606 DOI: 10.2478/v10151-012-0013-8 ISSN 1337-7493 The Complementary Currency as an Element of the Social Innovation in the Entrepreneurship Viera Kubičková1 – Ladislav Bažó2 – Roman Staňo3 Abstract The article presents the complementary currency systems as an element of the social innovation in the entrepreneurship. It offers solution for the present economic prob- lems created by the influence of the economic crisis. The important factors are high unemployment rate and exclusion of the marginalized social groups. The evaluation of the complementary currency systems and confrontation with the empirical studies of foreign and domestic authors presents the knowledge that the local currency systems especially in the time of economic crisis have an important contribution for all interest- ed groups – entrepreneurship sector, public sector and private sector in the local economy. Key words Social innovation, Social Entrepreneurship, Complementary Currency JEL Classification: E42, M14, L26, Z13 Introduction The realization of the individual short timed economical targets created destruc- tion of the world economy and its influence on the wide social groups. It is necessary to implement the solidarity, sharing the positive economical effects and loyal partner- ship into the economical relations. The social and solidarity economy is the concept, which realizes economical targets of the entrepreneurship subjects by the respect of the social and solidarity principles. The target of the article is to accent the system of the complementary changes as the element of the social innovation. We are concentrated on the basic principles of the functions of community currencies and their identification by the entrepreneurship subjects. We used mainly on-line information sources because there is the deficiency of the literature sources. 1 doc. Ing. Viera Kubičková, PhD.; University of Economics in Bratislava, Faculty of Commerce, Department of Services and Tourism, Dolnozemská cesta 1, 852 35 Bratislava; E-mail: [email protected] 2 Ing. Ladislav Bažó, PhD.; University of Economics in Bratislava, Faculty of Commerce, Department of Ser- vices and Tourism, Dolnozemská cesta 1, 852 35 Bratislava; E-mail: [email protected] 3 Ing. Roman Staňo, PhD.; University of Economics in Bratislava, Faculty of Commerce, Department of Ser- vices and Tourism, Dolnozemská cesta 1, 852 35 Bratislava; E-mail: [email protected] 597 Studia commercialia Bratislavensia Volume 5; Number 20 (4/2012) 1 The social economy The social economy presents two basic aspects. The economy aspect presents real production of the goods and services produced by the enterprises. This is the con- tribution for the creation of values and welfare generally. The social aspect put accent on the profit in the social environment. The contra point is reserved by the economi- cally oriented profit. It is necessary to understand these aspects mutually. The social profit could be understood as economical and economical profit can be understood as the social. The social profitability is evaluated by the contribution of the special economical activity for the development: - Support of the civil projects, - Increase of the life standard and welfare, - Creation of the new jobs. The social profitability is created by the public institutions and entrepreneurship sector also. The European Commission accepts social economy in year 1990. The social en- terprises are accepted as the key subjects in relation to the European economical, so- cial and political activities. The idea of this economical attitude is to present that the solidarity is not in conflict with the entrepreneurship. The report of the EU presents that the social economy employs 11000000 people. It is 6% employment share of the EU labour market. The potential is higher. The financing of the social enterprises fig- ures in the proposals of the future policy after 2013. The Brussels will create new financial tools for the social enterprises.The European Commission will reserve 90000000 Euro for 2014 – 2020 (Euractiv, 2011). The Economies which last two decades realize their transformation (central econ- omy to the market economy) have an increase rate of the social enterprises in the modification of the subjects of the third sector. The high developed entrepreneurship environment profiled social entrepreneurship as the activity which concentrates profit targets with the social targets. The social economy organizations present targets and models of the entrepreneurship as traditional firms. Their main activity is to realize socially profitable targets. The keywords used in the social economy environment (Lubelcová, 2012): 1. The social entrepreneur is connected with the activities created by the US management and business schools in the mid 90.-ties, which want to present support of new individual entrepreneur activity oriented on the solution of so- cial problems. 2. The social entrepreneurship was presented in the second half of 90.-ties. It presents wide range of the voluntary activities to the social responsibility of the enterprises. In USA was realized model of the new added value (profit and special social values). The social entrepreneurship is connected with the third sector in the European environment. 3. The concept of the social enterprise as organizational player in the social en- trepreneurship defined by formal and legislative status was presented in Eu- rope (especially in Italy, where was legislatively accepted in the form of the 598 Studia commercialia Bratislavensia Volume 5; Number 20 (4/2012) social cooperative). It is a new type of the organization which presents hybrid forms between market economy, public policy and civil society. The potential effects of the social economy in conditions of the Slovak Re- public (Lubelcová, 2012): The development of the employment – stimulation of the offer of employ- ment chances on the local level after the local needs and on the level of the local sources. The development of the sector of services – This sector is not enough devel- oped in Slovakia from the view of the size and structure. It presents in many locations lowered level of the infrastructure of the environment and civiliza- tion under development which decrease limits for the development activities and chances (for example: the development of the tourism) The development of the social services – their size and structure are long time not sufficient and they do not create possibility of the full social service. The social services need to be focused on the individual activity for the indi- vidual clients in the social need. The decentralization has influence on the de- crease of the number of social services. Their capacity is not sufficient. The social economy could secure lower professional social needs by own self ac- tivities and supervisors. The activation of the social inclusion and new social strategy. The social economy employment occasions for the long time unemployed and citizens with low job qualification. These jobs are no stabilized to guarantee the fi- nancial incomes which can guarantee the stabilized life standard. The social economy program is the combination of the financial income and social finan- cial help. The social financial help by fulfill the motivation a retro function. It minimizes the number of the citizens who depend on the social financial help. The development of the social potential of the locality. The social enterprises are building on the principles of the self help, social dialogue and public wel- fare targets. They activate and revitalize the social relations on the local level. They help to revitalize the social organism, which is able to present its needs and mobilize local sources for their satisfaction. The acceleration of the ownership of the decentralized responsibilities on the local and regional level. The decentralization of the public government system has the influence on the social and economical, local and regional develop- ment. The responsibility level of these institutions creates the conditions for the adequate social decisions. The social entrepreneurship activates the con- ceptions and program for the real man in locality or the region of the country. 2 The social entrepreneurship The social innovation creates the space for the transformation of the traditional model of the entrepreneurship. This type of the innovation offers new solutions for the social problem. They are more effective, active, and sustainable. The whole social groups have higher social profits from these solutions. 599 Studia commercialia Bratislavensia Volume 5; Number 20 (4/2012) The identification of the social entrepreneurship is presented by the basic typolo- gy which respects specifications of the social entrepreneurship. The classical entrepre- neurship has the main target the maximalization of the profit. The entrepreneurship with the social responsibility is connected to the profit. The management reinvests the share of the profit into the social policy of the enterprise voluntary. It supports various social targets. The social entrepreneurship is a new form. The features of the social entrepreneurship: a) The social entrepreneurship is the activity oriented on the social targets. The financial means are invested into the entrepreneurship. The target is to cre- ate better social conditions for the employees of the enterprise. b) The social entrepreneurship is based on the non-profit principles in